Book Review: Gang Leader for a Day

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh is a true story in which Sudhir, a PhD student at the University of Chicago, befriends a gang leader to study how the gang functions within its community. (Sudhir is also the sociologist whose gang research is referenced in Freakonomics.) Sudhir hangs out with the gang leader for 6 years, learning many of the ins and outs of life in a gang and life in the projects of Chicago. Sudhir works to understand the finances of the gang and the roles played by the gang in the community. Sudhir also meets other leaders and members of the gang, as well as members of the project community, and gains an insight into their lives not typically seen by others.